Integrating the education and care services into one system: childcare & pre-school – the common ground. There is an emerging trend toward integrating the education and care services into one system, a development likely to result in greater public support and higher quality programmes. Sweden, New Zealand, Spain, Scotland, and the UK have already implemented this system. What are the sociological advantages?
Curriculum: Should pre-school programmes be a full school-day rather than a short day? Research shows this appears to lead to more positive outcomes. Scandinavian programmes cover the full workday and the French preschool system has a long school day.
Which methodologies are best? Reggio approach – the environment as a teacher, multiple symbolic languages, home-school relationships.
Montessori – children direct their own learning, the teacher is a guide
Waldorf approach – largely experiential, imitative and sensory-based
What do we teach ? Do we teach academic skills or social skills? Does early teaching of academic skills improve outcomes later on?
Policy decisions: why should governments invest in early child development (ECD)?
Speakers
Kari Pitkänen, Director of Administration, Finnish National Board of Education Dr Mary Eming Young, Lead Child Development Specialist, World Bank - via video Aaron Brenner, founder of KIPP SHINE Prep, and Head of Primary Schools, KIPP Houston Diana Brenner, founding early childhood teacher, KIPP
Stream contributors
Trish Attlee, Headmistress of St Peter’s Girls’ School, Johannesburg Patti Gird, Head of the Foundation Phase, St Peter’s Girls’ School, Johannesburg
Stream leader
Dr Shirley Gatenio Gabel, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social Science, Fordham University
Table of Contents
Discussions
Integrating the education and care services into one system: childcare & pre-school – the common ground. There is an emerging trend toward integrating the education and care services into one system, a development likely to result in greater public support and higher quality programmes. Sweden, New Zealand, Spain, Scotland, and the UK have already implemented this system. What are the sociological advantages?
Curriculum: Should pre-school programmes be a full school-day rather than a short day? Research shows this appears to lead to more positive outcomes. Scandinavian programmes cover the full workday and the French preschool system has a long school day.
Which methodologies are best? Reggio approach – the environment as a teacher, multiple symbolic languages, home-school relationships.
Montessori – children direct their own learning, the teacher is a guide
Waldorf approach – largely experiential, imitative and sensory-based
What do we teach ? Do we teach academic skills or social skills? Does early teaching of academic skills improve outcomes later on?
Policy decisions: why should governments invest in early child development (ECD)?
Speakers
Kari Pitkänen, Director of Administration, Finnish National Board of EducationDr Mary Eming Young, Lead Child Development Specialist, World Bank - via video
Aaron Brenner, founder of KIPP SHINE Prep, and Head of Primary Schools, KIPP Houston
Diana Brenner, founding early childhood teacher, KIPP
Stream contributors
Trish Attlee, Headmistress of St Peter’s Girls’ School, JohannesburgPatti Gird, Head of the Foundation Phase, St Peter’s Girls’ School, Johannesburg
Stream leader
Dr Shirley Gatenio Gabel, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social Science, Fordham University